More care close to home – Baptist Health Care

Mayo Clinic Care Network relationship paves the way for critical patient intervention

Member: Baptist Health Care, Pensacola, Florida

It was a parent's worst nightmare. During basketball practice in March 2018, high school junior Jaylen Clausell suddenly collapsed. At only 16 years old, he was in cardiac arrest.

Thanks to quick action by his coaches, Clausell survived and was taken to Baptist Hospital's Heart & Vascular Institute (BHVI), where heart failure specialist Brent D. Videau, M.D., determined that he would need specialized treatment. Because of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, physicians at Mayo Clinic and Baptist Health had spent the last six years networking and building a professional relationship.

"This is a good example of how the care network can support physicians and work for the direct benefit of our patients," Dr. Videau says. "Using eConsults allows us to get to know Mayo's specialists. Because I talk to them all of the time and because we have a relationship, I can pick up the phone and run a case by them when I need to."

Dr. Videau contacted Mayo Clinic's advanced heart failure and cardiac transplant team so Clausell could receive the highly specialized care he needed. He was diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a rare heart disease that often results in sudden death. He had survived the original cardiac arrest, but the road to recovery was just beginning.

After being transferred to Mayo Clinic, he received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator to monitor his heart rate and, if necessary, shock his heart back into a regular rhythm. "Within 24 hours of transferring him, Jaylen got a catheter and a biopsy. Most hospitals can't do things that fast, but Mayo did. It was impressive," Dr. Videau adds.

Three months later, the device showed an irregular reading and Clausell had to be admitted to Baptist Hospital for monitoring. The defibrillator was replaced with a second dual-chamber device, but one month later, he went into cardiac arrest again. He spent more than three weeks in Baptist Hospital, moving from intensive care to the cardiac unit.

Later that same month, Clausell traveled back to Mayo when it was determined that he would need a heart transplant. Two months later, he received a new heart and a new lease on life.

"What I love about the care network relationship is that it has allowed us to step up the level of our care in this part of the state," Dr. Videau says. "I can call whoever I need, when I need to, and they stop what they are doing and have the conversation. The relationship with Mayo certainly helped in this unique situation involving Jaylen."

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